Production

For the last decade (pre-COVID), the demand and lack of skilled labor may have slowed production and increased housing costs more than any other factor. This condition is not new to the U.S. housing industry; the nation faced similar conditions at the founding of the country, and the evolution of the U.S. education system and the building trades have contributed to our modern labor woes.

Is there a path that will lead us out of this? The answer
will depend on where the future of housing is going, which is any one’s guess
now. But, by exploring our past, we may be able to see more clearly what got us
here and help us avoid repeating past mistakes.

In this episode, Tim and Steve welcome Clayton DeKorne to the show to explore this topic further. Clayton is Chief Editor of the JLC Group for Hanley Wood, LLC. Clayton has been with JLC since it’s “early days” in 1988, joined Hanley Wood when JLC was acquired, and also was the founding education director for the JLC Live series of events held annually around the country.

How our colonial history can possibly transform the state of the industry today.

How income plays a role in how some choose a profession.

And more…

Get More From Tim Faller…

If you are not already subscribed, don’t miss Tim’s “From the Field” Monthly Newsletter. Tim shares his experiences from the road as he works with production teams across the US and Canada, gives you a glimpse behind the scenes as he scours the waters of New England for fish and lobster, and more. Don’t miss it; Click Here to Subscribe to “From the Field.”

In this episode of the
Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve explore some of the more technical aspects of
the remodeling and building industries. In this case, we take a closer look at
moisture control and bring in an industry veteran and well-known speaker, Bill
Robinson out of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Bill is a nationally known construction trainer and presenter. He has demonstrated the proper use of building products in many parts of the country and at dozens of trade shows. Bill’s overarching message is understanding, detailing, and managing the building envelope and you can learn more about him and his business here.

As the world battles through the COVID-19 Pandemic, one theme is constant throughout North America; “How do we Recover?” Every area is effected differently and each remodeling company must look at the next 6-8 months and plan accordingly.

This month’s webinar features Tim and Doug Howard, taking a closer look at positioning your business to succeed and hitting the ground running as we all emerge from this disruption in the market.

In this episode, we talk about mistakes. Not technical mistakes like forgetting to shim a heavy door, but the mistakes that cost remodelers and renovators in other ways.

Our guest was recommended to us from an avid listener in British Columbia who heard him speak at a conference. His topic was avoiding costly mistakes in renovation and remodeling projects.

Michael Upshall is the Founder of Probuilt Design + Build in Bolton, Ontario. Michael is a well-known face in design and home/lifestyle magazines, and a regular speaker on stage at GTA Home Shows. Michael is a master carpenter at heart who naturally progressed into a renovator and builder. His career spans over 35 years, and PROBUILT’s collection of awards and recognitions continue to grow. PROBUILT was the first two-time recipient of the BILD “Renovator of the Year” Award (2002 & 2006).

Tim, Steve and Michael discuss:

3 biggest business mistakes that contractors make

Importance of Detailed Specifications

Designing Projects towards Client Budgets

Competitive Bidding vs Design/Build

3 biggest mistakes in production

Sales to Production hand-off packages

Tracking Job Costs during Production

Timelines and Scheduling

And More!

Michael also shares what it is like to build a house in 9 days to be featured in a trade show.

Michael is a great example of a suggested guest from folks just like you… our subscribers and listeners. If there is someone out there that you have either heard on another podcast, or perhaps an author of a book you have read, contact us and let us know.

Congratulations on Reaching 100 Episodes!

To celebrate this milestone, we’re changing up the format, turning the tables and featuring our Host, Tim Faller!

In this episode of the Tim Faller Show, Steve interviews his
co-host and explores Tim’s background as a lead carpenter, business owner and
his transition to a trusted advisor and sought-after industry “guru.”

Steve and Tim discuss:

Shifts in the industry, from 1-2 person operations to larger design/build firms we see today.

The birth of the lead carpenter system and its evolution.

Common issues and challenges that Tim sees in working with Remodelers in the US & Canada.

As he’s stated many times, Tim wants to see punch lists eliminated completely. The punch list can be an invitation for clients to find fault for remodelers. In new home building, there’s a part of the budget set aside to take care of the punch list. It can be a drain on profits.

Usually.

Derek Stone built a business, in part, by completing punch lists and warranty work for other building companies.

In this episode, Derek talks to Tim and Steve about a different side of the building business, and how his systems and training can help your remodeling company.

Derek is the CEO of Stone’s Repair and Remodel in Nashville, TN. Derek started his company as a one-man show in 2011. After working 80 hours a week, for three years, and missing his family, he learned the principle of leverage. He hired his first subcontractor, and within the next nine months, he hired 10. In 2017, he had over 28 subs punching houses for 14 different builders. In those three short years, he went from $68,000 in revenue to 1.2 million.

About 60 percent of Derek’s business is punch list and warranty work, primarily for new tract home builders. His company also does pressure washing and screen enclosures. He says he’s personally done about 7,000 houses himself. He contracts with local building companies to complete the work. Derek talks about his slice of the building and remodeling business, as well as his approach to systems and training, including:

How long it takes

Scheduling his subcontractors

What he learned from Chik-fil-A

Creating replicable systems

Training for skill sets

Maximizing efficiency

Working strategically with partners

His profit-sharing plan

And more …

If you or your team would like to see examples of his training approach for his sub-contractors, Derek has videos on his YouTube channel.

Did You Miss Build Aid?

Did you miss it? Thousands of remodelers, builders and industry professionals attended the Live, two-day virtual conference and got to hear 20+ speakers share tips, advice and strategies on “surviving and thriving” during these challenging times…

But we have Good News… We are keeping the Virtual Event Center open for a few weeks so you can access the recorded sessions and visit with the sponsors and partners that made it all possible. Visit https://buildaid.live/ to learn more.

Editor’s note: We’re all working remotely, away from the podcasting studio, so we’ve dug into the virtual vault to bring you this episode. With so many projects on hold due to Covid-19 emergency orders, take some time to get your systems and processes ready for better days.

Developing a system that makes your kitchen and bath jobs more profitable has to include getting those all-important selections done early in the process — before the job even starts.

In this episode, Tanya Donahue discusses that process with Tim and Steve, and why it results in exceptional client experiences, and make everyone in the company happy and more productive.

Tanya is the president of Rhode Island Kitchen and Bath, and provides her team and her clients with proven strategic capabilities, backed by her strong record of success. She’s spent more than 25 years in the home building and remodeling industry, and her main focus is to create, communicate, and implement the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction. Tanya is a member of the Rhode Island Builders Association, served as co-chair of the Remodeler’s Committee and is a former member of the board of directors. She was selected as a 2017 Industry panelist for Harvard University’s Joint Center on Housing Studies, and was a judge of the 2018 National Qualified Remodeler Design Awards. She was also the recipient of the 2017 ProRemodeler Extreme Sales Award.

At the company, when a job packet goes to production from sales, it has every selection made, right down to the color and manufacturer of the caulk to be used. So much money is lost when something is missing on the job. If your company isn’t doing it this way, Tanya says, it may seem overwhelming, but she tells you how to get your organization on board with making selections before the job starts, including:

Making the client the boss, sort of

Getting buy-in from sales and design

How it increases productivity in design and sales

Including photos in the job packet for easy identification on site

Starting with the must-haves

Controlling the client through education in the process

Figuring out how clients make decisions

Why cabinets can drive their start date

Starting with a reservation form, and using it as a reality check on the schedule

The power of the visual production board

How to do it without a showroom

And more …

Integrating sales and production in a continuous communication loop from start to finish is key to the whole process.

Don’t Miss Build Aid on April 1-2…

We want to give back to an industry that has supported us through good times and bad, and so we’ve created Build Aid, a FREE, two-day virtual event to help support our members, associates, and friends in the remodeling community.

Join us on April 1-2 as we explore various ways your business can navigate these tough times, and position yourselves as a leader when the world begins to recover and re-build. Click Here for more information & registration

Training to help move team members up the ladder is important to any remodeling company and its ability to move fast and make money.

Chris Peterson has seen the importance of training from his first days in the field as a carpenter through to his present leadership position. He says it’s a concrete way to coach and promote great people from the ground up.

In this episode, Chris explains his company’s training methods to Tim and Steve, and shows you how to create your own education program.

Chris is a co-owner and vice-president of production at Schloegel Design Remodel in Kansas City, MO. Chris has been with the company for more than 23 years. He started in the field as a carpenter and progressed to lead carpenter, project manager, and production manager. In 2018, he purchased the business with his partner, Charlie Schloegel. He’s seen the need for better training from many angles.

There’s a real connection between emphasizing training and successful financial growth, says Chris. His company has started Schloegel University, which is in its initial growth phase. Some of the training is after hours on a volunteer basis, and there are mandatory meetings. Chris explains why making it cross-functional with classes that include field and office staff is important, as well as:

Reactionary vs. proactive training

Explaining how quality ties into profitability

How much to spend on training

Structuring a training program

Understanding education is already happening

Setting standards so things are done the same way, every time

Putting the responsibility on the learner

Creating enthusiasm around the process

And more …

Dedicating the time to training, even if it’s informal, will help your people be successful, leading to better quality and more jobs for your company, says Chris.

If you’ve ever had to deal with legal action in your remodeling business, you know it can be a nightmare. The best thing you can do is to keep you and your projects out of the legal system.

Dennis Dixon has used his experience as an expert witness and investigator to help business owners understand the link between the legal system and the health of their business.

In this episode, Dennis talks to Tim and Steve about how to keep you and your projects out of the legal system through preventative measures, management, and oversight.

Dennis is a 35-year veteran author, builder, and consultant, and is the president of Dixon Ventures in Flagstaff, AZ. His book, Finding Hidden Profits contains proven management, policy, and contract content solutions to keep any construction or design pro in the profit stream.

His entry into the legal system began 25 years ago, when lawyers would ask him to investigate projects that were the subjects of lawsuits. Dennis says about 75 percent of these disputes arose from mishandled change orders, with the underlying causes of poor documentation and communication. He talks about how to help keep your company out of legal trouble, including:

Getting everything in writing

The problem with allowances

Why you need good planning and specs

A-to-Z documentation

Asking how clients will use a space to get a deeper understanding

Resolving disputes before taking any legal steps

When to take the hit on a change order

The power of a real letter, not an email

Taking emotion out of the process

Addressing dispute resolution in your contracts

How to prepare for arbitration or a lawsuit

Why the party with the most paperwork wins

And more …

Maintaining good communication with clients will help head off disputes — and that includes the hiccups and problems too. Being transparent and documenting everything is the key to avoiding legal trouble.

Today’s guest believes that training tradespeople is an overlooked part of solving the labor crisis the remodeling and construction industries continue to face.

Ian Schwandt says that lead carpenters are in the best position to have a positive effect on the development of young tradespeople. As a lead carpenter, he practices what he preaches.

In today’s episode, Ian talks to Tim and Steve about teaching young tradespeople to see, understand, and think about why they’re doing something, rather than only demonstrating the mechanics of the task.

Ian is a lead carpenter and estimator with Hudson Valley Preservation in Kent, CT. He started with the company in 2017 as lead carpenter after working with the owners as a carpentry sub. He took over estimating in 2019, and rebuilt the Excel-based estimating program. He wrote a four-part series about the idea of the Worker-Centered Crew in JLC.

Taking on the estimating task gave him added insight into how crews are put together, how they’re trained, and what they’re capable of. Ian started as a laborer out of high school, but found he loved carpentry work. He got a four-year apprenticeship program when he joined the carpenters union in Milwaukee, WI. His training there put him on a life-long path of learning. He talks about his views on training, and others can approach it, including:

The Triangle of Obligations

The importance of being organized

Setting your field team up for success

Building teaching time into the labor burden

Teaching how to cheat

The difference between working from the neck up and neck down

Explaining the “why” of the whole project at the beginning

Using YouTube videos and magazine articles to prepare your field staff

Putting a package of PDFs together that can be accessed on site

Asking the right questions to make workers think and understand the work

One thing Tim hears frequently in his travels and consulting with remodelers is the desire for fewer layers of management, replaced by more leadership.

One of the best places to learn and develop leadership skills is the U.S. Armed Forces.

Cody Ross served in the U.S. Marine Corps. from April 2005 – December 2014 as a combat engineer, doing everything from infantry to building bridges, and has found his experience translates well to remodeling and construction.

In this episode, Cody talks to Tim and Steve about using military leadership techniques and procedures to positively affect the construction process and to deliver a better client experience.

Cody is the project manager at Irons Brothers Construction Inc., in Shoreline, WA. He’s been with Irons Brothers for four years, and has successfully managed the company’s largest project to date in scope, size, and sale price.

He’s identified five big leadership takeaways from his time in the military that apply to remodeling and construction — organization of the unit, commanders’ intent, small-unit leadership, planning backwards, and the end-of-week stand down. Cory breaks them down and explains how they translate to remodeling projects, including:

The importance of staying in your lane

Describing your ideal end state

Recognizing who’s best suited to make decisions

Time management techniques

Streamlining meetings for efficiency

The importance of contingency planning

How delegation of authority develops accountability and responsibility

Handling under-performing trade partners

Using BAMCIS* for further planning in remodeling

The five-paragraph order

And more …

*BAMCIS is a tool that stands for Begin the planning, Arrange for reconnaissance, Make reconnaissance, Complete the plan, Issue the order, and Supervise.

About Remodelers Advantage

As the remodeling industry’s most comprehensive support organization for remodeling business owners, Remodelers Advantage has helped thousands of remodelers, from start-ups to $30 million firms, improve company performance and quality of life. To learn more, visit RemodelersAdvantage.com